In recent years, Bollywood has witnessed a string of films that have failed to resonate with audiences, despite featuring big stars and high expectations. Big Budget movies like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Jigra and Sikandar are among those that couldn’t make a mark at the box office.
Addressing this shift, renowned film critics Taran Adarsh, Meena Iyer and Komal Nahta, in a conversation with news agency ANI, shared their perspectives on the changing landscape of the Hindi film industry.
He attributed the underwhelming performance of recent films to multiple factors, notably the choice of shooting locations and the growing reliance of actors on social media, which he believes is impacting their on-screen appeal and audience connection.
Giving the example of films like Stree 2, Pushpa 2 and Chhaava which worked wonders at the box office and cracked several records, Taran explained that these films worked because the people loved it.
"Pushpa, why did it do so much business? Why did Stree do so much business? Before that, Jawan, Pathan, Animal or Gadar. Why were they so successful? Or recently, Chhaava. It is going close to Rs 600 crores because the main reason behind it is that the audience is happy to see that film. They are happy from the bottom of their heart. But if you don't make good films, you can't expect the audience to break into cinemas and your film to be successful," the trade expert stated.
Meanwhile, another renowned film critic, Meena Iyer, while talking to ANI emphasized that films nowadays don't focus on scripts anymore and there is certain 'dishonesty'. “We have stopped thinking about our scripts. There’s a dishonesty now — be it the audience, the media, or distributors, everyone feels let down. Filmmakers must understand they can’t fool people anymore. If they don’t deliver quality and sensible cinema, they will lose relevance," she said.
She emphasised that casting a superstar no longer guarantees a film’s success in today’s landscape.
Advocating a return to fundamentals, she encouraged filmmakers to focus on strong storytelling, sharp editing, and quality music direction to truly connect with audiences.
In a candid critique of Bollywood's recent box office struggles, veteran film trade analyst Komal Nahta attributed the slump to what he described as the “kamchori” or laziness of contemporary scriptwriters.
Komal said: “The biggest problem is laziness. People finalise the first draft thinking it’s good enough. But good storytelling doesn’t work that way. Scripts must go through multiple revisions and honest self-critique.”
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Bade Miyan Chote Miyan starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff earned Rs 65.13 crore despite having a whopping budget of Rs 350 crore. Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt starrer Jigra was made at a budget of Rs 90 crore but earned only approx. Rs 56 crore.
Recently, Salman Khan starrer Sikandar hit the theatres on March 30 and has been struggling to make its mark on the box office. It has earned Rs 97.75 crore in India net. The movie was made at a whopping Rs 200 crore.
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